Portland, ME Environmental Rules: Grading & Drainage (2026)

There is no stand-alone 'grading ordinance' chapter in Portland; grading and drainage are folded into the stormwater, erosion-control and Land Use Code site plan regimes. Chapter 32 Sec. 32-41 defines 'Disturbed Area' to include any land 'stripped, graded, grubbed, filled, or excavated,' explicitly including redevelopment and new impervious areas. Sites of 10,000 sq ft or more trigger the Sec. 32-44 ESC Plan requirement; sites requiring a stormwater management plan under Section V of the Technical Manual trigger the Sec. 32-37 post-construction approval requirement (drainage routing, detention/infiltration BMPs, treatment volumes). Site Plan review under Chapter 14 of the Land Use Code requires a scaled grading plan tied to a boundary survey and finished-floor elevations. Building permits under Chapter 6 require structural and grading details consistent with the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) (25 M.R.S. § 2451 et seq.). The Department of Public Works also enforces the City's Rules and Regulations for Use of the Sewer System, which governs construction dewatering discharges (Sec. 32-41 definition of 'Dewatering Plan'). State-law backstop: Maine DEP's Stormwater Management Law at 38 M.R.S. § 420-D triggers a separate DEP permit at 1 acre of disturbance or 1 acre of new impervious in protected watersheds.